Tobacco basket



Dec. 6, 1955 J l Mc 2,726,010

TOBACCO BASKET Filed March 10, 1953 INVENTOR.

imzzee ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent TOBACCO BASKET John L. McKnight, Yadkinville, N, C., assignor to. J. M. McKnight and'Sons,Yadkiiiville, N. C., a partnership Application March 10, 1953, Serial No. 341,500

1 Claim. (Cl. 220-83) This invention relates to tobacco baskets and it is the primary object of this invention to provide a light, but strong and durable marketing basket for leaf tobacco which is particularly adapted for use in storing the tobacco as it is being sold and whereby a plurality of such baskets may be employed with very slight variations in the weight of the tobacco baskets per se.

In conventional wood or fiber tobacco baskets heretofore in use, the weight of each basket varies, and as the tobacco is customarily weighed while in the baskets preparatory to being auctioned, a difference in the weight of the baskets is reflected in the price paid for the tobacco.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a basket having a bottom made from loosely interwoven strips or bands, preferably made from metal or plastic or any other material whose weight will be constant, and wherein the opposite ends of the strips forming the bottom of the basket are suitably secured, as by welding, to the lower inner edge portions of outwardly and upwardly curving side and end walls of substantially rectangular configuration. An endless rigid member of relatively small cross-sectional dimensions and preferably being circular in cross-section, forms an outer frame member for the basket to which the upper outer edges of the curved side and end walls are suitably connected. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper outer edge of each of the walls is bent to form a channel which fits around the corresponding portions of the endless frame member.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved tobacco marketing basket;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the improved tobacco basket;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the basket taken substantially along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the bottom of the basket is formed from a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced substantially parallel slats or strips indicated at 10, said slats preferably being formed of metal, and which are loosely interwoven with a plurality of transversely extending spaced substantially parallel slats or strips 11, also preferably made from metal. Opposite ends of the longitudinally extending slats 10 are welded or otherwise secured to the lower surfaces of substantially rectangularly-shaped arcuate side walls or panels 12 and 13, and opposite ends of the transverse slats 11 are suitably secured to the lower surfaces of the proximal portions of substantially rectangular arcuate panels or sidewalls 14 and 15.

All of the arcuate wall members or panels 12, 13, 14 and 15 are of substantially the same size and shape and each of them is curved outwardly and upwardly and is then bent outwardly and downwardly and inwardlyto form a channel-shaped portion or tubular portion 16 thereon. It will be noted that the end portion of each of the channel-shaped or tubular portions 16 is suitably secured 'to the lower surface of the corresponding wall member or panel, as by spot welding, each of the panels or wall members 12, 13,14 and 15 preferably being made from relatively thin sheet metal. 1

A continuous metal bar or frame member, broadly designated at 20, forms the rim of the basket and extends through the tubular or channel portions 16 of the corresponding arcuate wall members or panels 12, 13, 14 and 15. It will be noted that the corner portions of the endless or continuous metal bar 20 are rounded, as at 21, and the proximal corner portions of the arcuate side panels 14 and 15 overlap the proximal corner portions of the arcuate end panels or walls 12 and 13, these overlapping portions being suitable interconnected, preferably by spot welding.

In order to partly reinforce the basket, opposite edges of each of the panels 12, 13, 14 and 15 are turned under or rolled, as at 22, as shown in Figure 1. The underturned or rolled edge portions 22 of the arcuate side panels 14 and 15 are not shown in Figures 2 and 3, since the thickness of the material from which the panels are made is necessarily exaggerated in the drawings, and the inclusion of the underturned portion on the side panels 14 and 15 in Figures 2 and 3 would distort the appearance of the basket in the drawings as compared to the appearance of the actual basket as constructed.

It is thus seen that I have provided an improved tobacco marketing basket constructed entirely of relatively thin sheet metal, with the exception of the continuous metal bar 20 and wherein the slats 10 and 11 are fillet welded, spot welded or otherwise secured to the adjacent portions of the panels or wall members 12, 13, 14 and 15 and, also, wherein the proximal corner portions of the side and end walls are spot welded or otherwise secured in overlapping relation to each other. Also, the upper outer edges of the panels or wall members 12, 13, 14 and 15 are secured to the continuous or endless metal bar 21 by means of the channel-shaped or tubular portion 16 thereof.

It is evident that this basket may be quickly and economically constructed without sacrificing durability and strength and, further, a plurality of such baskets may be so constructed that the weight of all of the baskets would be substantially uniform.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claim.

I claim:

A basket including a fiat foraminated bottom formed from a plurality of substantially parallel slats extending in one direction and a plurality of substantially parallel second slats extending in at least one other direction and interwoven with the first slats, a first pair of rectangular panels secured at their proximal edges to opposite ends of the slats extending in one direction, a second pair of panels secured at their proximal edges to opposite ends of the second slats extending in said other direction, each of said panels being of arcuate cross-section configuration and curving outwardly and upwardly away from said bottom and then being bent downwardly and inwardly adjacent their respective outer edges to form a tubular channel, a rigid bar circumscribing said panels, and said rigid bar being confined within said tubular channels, the first pair of panels having the inner corners overlapping and secured to the inner corners of the second pair of panels, the rigid bar having rounded exposed corners serving ashandles for the baslget the proximate edges of adjacent panelsand the rounded exposed corners of the rigid bar defining unobstructed openings therebetween, and theconfiguration of said panels being such that they constitute a gently rising continuation of the forarninated flat bottom whereby said panels and the openings therebetween may be utilized for the storage and ventilation of articles positioned on-the bottom of the basket.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hager July 18, 1876 Chapman July 31, 1917 Coppage July 31, 1917 Wulftange Feb. 26, 1924 Lush Sept. 11, 1934 Loring Jan. 1, 1935 Goldstrom Nov. 1, 1949 Ullrich Jan. 8, 1952 

